The Mo Family's New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous, with twelve dishes including both meat and vegetables. The two families sat around the table, warming themselves by the fire as they ate joyously for nearly two hours before they set down their chopsticks to continue staying up late into the night.
At Zi Hour, the Mo Family lit incense candles in the courtyard and, after offering a sacrifice of fish and meat, set off a long string of firecrackers. Only after everyone ate dumplings did the vigil come to an end.
Listening to the intermittent sound of firecrackers outside, everyone yawned contentedly as they headed back to their rooms to sleep.
On the first day of the new year, early in the morning, Mo Yan and the younger generation got out of bed, dressed in their brand-new clothes, and paid their respects to the two elders, Mo Qingze and Lizhong.
